Advocacy
ATPPS Position Statement on Specialization
ATPPS supports specialization throughout all healthcare professions. ATPPS feels following the medical model of specialization is equally valuable for athletic trainers as we continue to provide quality patient care along best practices throughout the profession.
ATPPS Position Statement on Additional Certifications
The Athletic Trainers in the Physician Practice Society (ATPPS) has developed this position statement on additional certifications. Athletic trainers have often gained supplemental certifications outside the profession of athletic training. These certifications have historically served ATs in the physician practice setting to signify the ability to perform specific procedural skills in the operating room and as casting technicians
ATPPS Public Comments on New Product Categories
The Athletic Trainers in the Physician Practice Society (ATPPS) submitted these comments to set forth our strong objections to the proposed expansion of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program (CBP) to include certain “off-the-shelf” (OTS) back and knee orthotics. We are strongly opposed to the inclusion of any Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) orthotic codes in the DMEPOS CBP.
Letter to CMS on New Product Categories
ATPPS has submitted a comment to CMS asking for a longer comment period as the current comment period is only about a month long, significantly less than the standard comment period.
Below is the CMS request for public comment along with the hyperlink directly to the CMS website.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is soliciting comments on new product categories, including their associated Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes, to be phased-in for the next round of the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program.
To submit a comment, please email it to DMEPOS@cms.hhs.gov. In order for your comment to be considered, you must type “Competitive Bidding Product Categories” as the subject line for your email. Only comments submitted by 11:59:59 PM Prevailing Eastern Time on December 17, 2018, with the subject line above will be considered.
ATPPS recommends that you review this information to access how it may impact your facility and utilization of DME.
CMS Final Ruling/Provisions
In September 2018, The ATPPS board, provided public comment on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed Physician Fee Schedule. Included here is the final CMS ruling and provisions.
CMS has recently released their final ruling and provisions for CY 2019 and include some provisions that may benefit those athletic trainers working in the physician practice setting.
ATPPS Open Comment to CMS
In September the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) was seeking public comment for new proposed rules. This major proposed rule addresses changes to the Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS) and other Medicare Part B payment policies. These public comment periods do not happen that often. The board of the ATPPS is committed to reviewing all CMS proposed rule changes and public comments to identify areas where our members will be affected. When applicable, we look for areas to comment on CMS rulings that would be of interest to ATPPS members. With this specific ruling and comment period, we identified proposed changes that were being made to documentation strategies to provide comment. It appears that with these proposed rule changes, CMS is looking to decrease the administrative burden on physicians. Our comments specifically were addressing documentation strategies on history, exam and MDM, identified as an unnecessary administrative burden. Once the final ruling is announced by CMS we will bring the relevant changes to our ATPPS members.